The Turing phone is apparently still alive

It really seems like everybody and their aunt is "kickstarting" various ideas this day of age, regardless of experience or even viability of said concepts. Thus, it is unsurprising that so many project fail even before they get off the ground. But while it is hard to feel sorry for the latest smart toaster/cooler combo with Android, there are some other really ambitious projects, especially in the mobile realm, that many users generally want to see become a reality.

The Turing Phone definitely falls under the latter category. It started off as an ambitious effort towards creating a very tough device, both physically, with a hard exterior shell and waterproofing, as well as on a software level, by offering a unique set of high security features. The device even goes so far as to remove things like the USB port, 3.5mm jack and home button, as potential weak links in the build.

The latter point actually fits in nicely with the company's follow-up decision to forgo Android altogether and go for the touch gesture friendly Sailfish OS 2.0 instead. It comes with the promise of Android app compatibility, as well as advanced security, achieved through running said apps in a separate layer and a unique decentralized authentication system, serviced by Turing Imitation Key.

Turing phone renders

This is all fine and well, but news on the Turing Phone died out last year and we came to suspect the project had tanked. However, this only came after a few thousand people had already backed the idea, some of which paying upwards of $600, so it is definitely a good thing that the company behind the phone did actually resurface again out of the blue, sending emails to backers.

Those texts detailed that the Turing phone is still alive and well and that initial units will ship starting July 12. Well, there is a bit more to the story. The email continues to explain that said handsets are only "evaluation units" and that the customers will receive a new Snapdragon 820-powered version of the phone later this year, free of charge.

Yes, that does sound incredibly fishy, but here's to hoping that at least the "evaluation units" do indeed ship. In their current state, they should offer a slightly dated Snapdragon 801 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 13MP main camera and a 3000 mAh battery. Not the best bang for buck, but hopefully, the security features can make up for it and if not, the rarity of the units could actually fetch a good price in auction.

Source | Via